If you have a hunkering for something unquestionably comforting, then this Creamy Cheese Chicken Bake is here to take you down the backroads of your low-country dreams! Rich, hearty, creamy, and loaded with farm-fresh chicken and picked-yourself veggies, this casserole will have you squealin’ as loud as a pig at suppertime. Ooee! Creamy Cheese Chicken Bake tastes like home, and we can’t wait to take our tastebuds there!
Ingredients
- 6 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cooked, shredded or cubed
- 3 cups chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/4 cup flour
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- hot sauce, to taste
- 2 cups cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese, grated
Directions
Step 1 –Adjust an oven rack to the center of the oven.
Step 2 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 3 –Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Step 4 –Place the potatoes in the prepared casserole dish.
Step 5 –Layer the chicken over the potatoes.
Step 6 –In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
Step 7 –Add the celery, the onion, and the carrots to the butter and cook until the veggies are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 8 –Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, the poultry seasoning, and the tarragon over the veggies.
Step 9 –Sprinkle the flour over the veggie mixture and stir until it is combined.
Step 10 –Reduce the heat to medium and cook the veggie mixture, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 11 –Add the cream cheese to the veggie mixture and mix until it melts and is incorporated.
Step 12 –Add the milk, 1 cup at time, to the veggie mixture, allowing the sauce to thicken after each addition.
Step 13 –Use a large whisk to stir the veggie-sauce mixture until there are no more clumps from the flour.
Step 14 –Cook the sauce until it is bubbly.
Step 15 –Add the chicken broth to the sauce, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition, and cook, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 16 –Taste the sauce and season with more of the salt and the pepper as needed.
Step 17 –Add the hot sauce to the sauce and stir to combine.
Step 18 –Pour the sauce over the potato-chicken mixture and top with the grated cheese.
Step 19 –Bake the casserole, uncovered, until it is hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Step 20 –Serve.
